Suncheon holds special child abuse prevention training for daycare directors

Special child abuse prevention education in Suncheon

Amid recurring child abuse incidents, Suncheon city has conducted a special training session on child abuse prevention and safety management for directors of daycare centers focused on infant and toddler care.

According to the city, led by Mayor Son Hun-mo, the session held Monday brought together 155 daycare center directors — the people responsible for care on the ground — following a recent suspected child abuse case at a local daycare. The training was designed to heighten awareness, review abuse prevention systems and create a safe care environment where parents can entrust their children with confidence.

The directors held a self-reform pledge rally, committing to build daycare centers that parents can trust. They took an oath covering three areas: operating centers free of corporal punishment, practicing care that respects children, and achieving zero child abuse.

The curriculum covered early detection of child abuse and compliance with mandatory reporting obligations, rights-based care for infants and toddlers to prevent abuse within daycare centers, and strengthened supervision and preventive education for daycare staff.

In addition, Suncheon plans to go beyond the training by conducting inspections of CCTV management and operations at daycare centers through Friday, as part of efforts to develop effective prevention measures.

The inspections will focus on three areas: whether any blind spots exist in CCTV coverage, whether video data is being managed and retained for the required period, and whether procedures for viewing requests are being followed. The city said it aims to significantly strengthen transparency and safety in the care environment.

Lee Hyang-eun, head of the city hall's Child Care and Children Division, said the city would "do its utmost to build a reliable child care safety network that parents can trust, by pursuing thorough preventive education and rigorous on-site inspections alongside the directors' own self-reform efforts."